All three were involved in Germany’s World Cup winning campaign in Brazil, with Ozil in particular playing a lot of minutes throughout the tournament.

Now Arsene Wenger has revealed that all three could miss the start of the new campaign, with the trio not returning to training until August 11. That is the day after Arsenal could potentially add a second trophy in a matter of months to their name, when they take on Manchester City in the Community Shield at Wembley.

Per Mertesacker featured six times in Germany’s World Cup campaign, while Mesut Ozil played every minute of their triumph in South America. Lukas Podolski on the contrary only appeared twice from the substitute’s bench to play a total of 53 minutes, and is arguably less deserving of the extended break.

But Wenger will feel he is more than equipped to begin the new season without his German stars. The game against Champions Manchester City could be the first competitive start for new signing Alexis Sanchez.

The Chilean signed from Barcelona earlier this month in a deal that now makes Arsenal’s attack look one of the best in the Premier League on paper. With Sanchez, Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski all options as front-men, goals will certainly be on the cards at the Emirates this season.

Arsenal play their first league game at home to Crystal Palace six days after the shield match, but there is still every chance at least one of his key German players could be fit to make that fixture.

Dan Connor

Dan is a sports journalism undergraduate from Barry, South Wales. He is a club journalist at West Bromwich Albion and a weekly writer for The Independent’s sport section. Previous work for BBC Sport, BBC Radio and Manchester United has seen Dan cover a range of sport such as rugby union, tennis and Formula One. His expertise lies in Welsh football, in particular with Cardiff and Swansea City.